Root was a big hit when released and continues to be very popular. Now it has gone digital. Does the digital adaptation do a good job representing the physical counterpart?

Root Digital Overview:

Root has four factions to play; The Marquise de Cats, The Eyrie Dynasty, The Woodland Alliance, and the Vagabond. Each faction plays differently and scores differently than the others. The first player to reach 30 VPs wins.

The Cats earn VPs by erecting buildings. While the Eyrie do so by building roosts that score each round. The Alliance place sympathy tokens and the more on the board the more they score each round. The Vagabond earns points by exploring ruins and making alliances with other factions. All factions may craft items for VPs too.

You can only construct buildings in clearings so factions will fight over these spaces. Combat is resolved with two 12-sided dice numbered zero through three. The attacker gets the higher result and the defender gets the lower one. You remove enemy units equal to the number your side rolled. But your result is capped by the number of units you have in the fight.

This overview is not very in-depth. If you want to get a deeper understanding of Root you can google and find a bunch of rules and faction explanations.

Quick Review of Root Digital Edition:

I have only played the Root board game once and it has a pretty steep learning curve. The digital edition of this game is very well done. It helps you learn the intricacies of each faction and keep track of the game state.

Like the physical edition the digital version of Root looks great. The interface is easy to navigate and all the information you need is just a click away.

The tutorials are well done and I really like how they break down each faction and then let you finish playing the tutorial game. You can focus on one faction that appeals to your play style. Or play each one randomly to increase the variety.

For new players, the AI is not too difficult but I have read that some experienced players think it is too easy. You can play online in real-time or asynchronously. There is also a pass-and-play mode if you are in the same space as your opponent(s).

If you enjoy Root, buy this. It is a no-brainer especially given the current pandemic. If you have been interested in trying the physical board game, you still should pick this up. It does a great job teaching you the rules and letting you try all the factions. You can get the digital edition on iOS, Android, and Steam.